FIM Superbike World Championship Donington Park, England June 28, 2009 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Ben SPIES (Yamaha YZF-R1), 23 laps, 35:14.788 2. Leon HASLAM (Honda CBR1000RR), -6.622 seconds 3. Michel FABRIZIO (Ducati 1098 F09), -6.816 4. Shane BYRNE (Ducati 1098R), -7.349 5. Tom SYKES (Yamaha YZF-R1), -8.145 6. Leon CAMIER (Yamaha YZF-R1), -13.463 7. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda CBR1000RR), -15.751 8. James ELLISON (Yamaha YZF-R1), -16.837 9. Ruben XAUS (BMW S1000 RR), -22.891 10. Simon ANDREWS (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -30.347 11. Lorenzo LANZI (Ducati 1098R), -30.622 12. Matthieu LAGRIVE (Honda CBR1000RR), -31.562 13. Yukio KAGAYAMA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -32.148 14. Broc PARKES (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -32.607 15. Jonathan REA (Honda CBR1000RR), -32.806, crash 16. Luca SCASSA (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -34.269 17. Blake YOUNG (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -40.644 18. Gregorio LAVILLA (Ducati 1098R), -40.956 19. David SALOM (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -41.302 20. Troy CORSER (BMW S1000 RR), -42.856 21. Max BIAGGI (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -47.769, crash 22. Vittorio IANNUZZO (Honda CBR1000RR), -8 laps, DNF, retired 23. Roland RESCH (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -8 laps, DNF, retired 24. Alessandro POLITA (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -17 laps, DNF, retired 25. Carlos CHECA (Honda CBR1000RR), -18 laps, DNF, crash 26. David CHECA (Yamaha YZF-R1), -18 laps, DNF, crash 27. Noriyuki HAGA (Ducati 1098 F09), -19 laps, DNF, crash 28. Jakub SMRZ (Ducati 1098R), -21 laps, DNF, crash 29. Shinya NAKANO (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -22 laps, DNF, crash 30. Jamie HACKING (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -22 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 28 races): 1. Haga, 308 points 2. Spies, 294 3. Fabrizio, 257 4. Rea, 177 5. Haslam, 167 6. Biaggi, 155 7. Sykes, 141 8. Smrz, 115 9. Carlos Checa, 114 10. TIE, Byrne/Kiyonari, 113 12. Kagayama, 94 13. Nakano, 81 14. Regis Laconi, 77 15. Max Neukirchner, 75 16. Xaus, 50 17. Corser, 36 18. Parkes, 27 19. Hopkins, 17 20. Camier, 13 More, from a press release issued by Ben Spies’ publicist: DOMINATING SWEEP FOR SPIES IN GREAT BRITAIN Yamaha Ace Draws to Within 14 Points of Series Lead CASTLE DONINGTON, England (June 28, 2009) For the third time this season Ben Spies earned a clean sweep at a World Superbike round. This time the factory Yamaha rider scored the double victory at England’s Donington Park, following up on his double victories in Qatar and the United States earlier this season. In a dramatic turn of events, the two wins, combined with a DNF by series leader Noriyuki Haga, brings Spies to within 14 points of the series lead. Spies was simply in control at Donington Park all weekend. Starting from the pole on his Yamaha R1, Spies led every lap of both races. In the first race he was challenged by Aprilia’s Max Biaggi until the final set of turns, where’s Biaggi’s bike slowed. Despite Biaggi staying close, Spies’ lead never appeared to be under real threat. He was able to reply each time the veteran Biaggi tried to make inroads. In the end, with Biaggi’s bike issues, Spies won by a margin of 7.156 seconds. Biaggi managed to hold onto second over Haga. “In many ways the first race was easier for me than the second,” Spies explained. “With Max right there it gave me plenty to concentrate on.” Race two saw Spies steadily pull away from the field with a set of blistering laps. Behind him dramatic events were happening at a dizzying rate. A slew of riders crashed, among them Haga, who fell on lap five forcing him to retire from the race. Leon Haslam held off Michel Fabrizio in a good battle for second over six-and-a-half seconds behind winner Spies. “I built a good lead early and then my focus was broken a little bit when I saw Nori crashed,” Spies said. “So many things were going through my head. I was hoping Nori was OK, but also excited knowing that, if I could manage to win that second race, I would be back in serious contention for the championship. I got my focus back and then worked the lead up to about seven seconds. On the tight corners I was able look back and monitor the battle for second. “It was a picture perfect weekend for us. We needed to have one like this. The crew did a great job and gave me an excellent motorcycle all weekend. We’ve had our ups and downs this season, but we’re back in the championship now and that’s what counts.” The second race win at Donington was Spies’ 10th of the season. In a little over a half season Spies has already cracked into the top-20 on the all-time World Superbike wins list. He is tied with Fabrizio Pirovano and Chris Vermeulen for 18th all-time Haga’s exit allowed Spies to trim a major portion of the point deficit to Haga. Coming into Donington Spies was 48 points behind in the standings. As the series takes a nearly month-long summer break Spies finds himself right back in the thick of the championship chase, just 14 points behind Haga. That sets up an exciting dash for the championship going into the final five rounds (10 races) primarily between Haga, Spies and Fabrizio. The next World Superbike race is in Brno, Czech Republic on July 26. Spies said he would take a few days off to relax then get back to his rigorous training program. In the U.S. both World Superbike races from Donington Park can be watched on SPEED today (Sunday, June 28) starting at 3:00 pm. More, from a press release issued by British Superbike Championship organizers: Full house in WSB for BSB riders past and present Riders from the past three seasons of the ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli put on a stunning performance at the World Superbike Championship event at Donington Park today (Sunday), taking seven of the top ten places in race two. The championship-leading Airwaves Yamaha team were joined by confused.com-backed MSS Colchester Kawasaki’s Simon Andrews as wildcards for this round. Leon Camier made an astounding comeback after a massive crash in second qualifying yesterday at Craner Curves. The team worked hard to rebuild his number one machine overnight and from his fifth row start in 17th place he was able to fight his way through the field to finish sixth in race two. James Ellison on the second of the Airwaves Yamahas crashed out of the top ten in race one and was edged out by former double BSB champion Ryuichi Kiyonari for sixth in race two. Andrews meanwhile was the top Kawasaki rider in the second race, finishing tenth. Last year’s BSB championship runner-up Leon Haslam put on an impressive display at his home track, finishing second in race two to Ben Spies. Reigning BSB champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne had his strongest qualifying performance of the season to start from the front row and finished third in the opening race and fourth in race two. Tom Sykes also had a strong finish in race two, finishing fifth after closing down Byrne in the final laps. In the World Supersport Championship race, last year’s title contender Cal Crutchlow took the win to extend his lead in the overall standings, whilst wildcard James Westmoreland finished 11th on the JW Racing Triumph ahead of next weekend’s Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship round at Knockhill. Your next chance to see BSB will be on Wednesday 1 July when it takes to the streets of Glasgow for Superbikes in the Square presented by Swan. See all your favourite BSB riders in action at George Square. The next round takes place at Knockhill on 3/4/5 July. For more information visit www.knockhill.co.uk More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: SBK, RACE 1: BIAGGI SECURES THE SECOND STEP ON THE PODUIM, NAKANO FINISHES IN SIXTH PLACE Today witnessed Race 1 of the UK round of the SBK under a grey sky that loomed over the Donington Park circuit. However, in the end threat of rain was just that, only a threat and the crowds of English fans were able to watch an incredible race without getting soaked. Max Biaggi started off well and was right behind the poleman Spies at the first curve, followed by Haga in third place. The three drivers had that something extra over their adversaries and they broke away from the pack, maintaining a pace that was just under the record set at the Bayliss track in 2007. After four laps, Haga began to lose ground and about halfway through the race he was losing one second per lap with respect to the pacesetters. Spies continued to push ahead at a maniacal pace, but Biaggi didn’t budge at all, and recovered what he had lost on the final and slowest part of the track during the second part of the race, which was much more technical and had a faster pace. The two continued that way until Biaggi’s motorcycle suddenly died out at the last chicane due to a problem with the gas pump. Fortunately, Max was able to restart his RSV4 and thanks to a lead of more than nine seconds on Haga, he still managed to finish the race in second place. The Roman driver and Noale’s four-stroke V cylinder motorcycle returned to the podium following the two third place finishes that were secured in Qatar, and a parenthesis surrounding the much discussed penalty in Race 1 at Monza. Shinya Nakano finished in sixth place, at 21:286 behind Spies. The Japanese driver, who started off from fourth place, lost some ground at the beginning and fell behind the lead group. After recovering some ground thanks to a good rhythm, Shinya found himself battling Haslam and Byrne for fourth position. It was only during the final two laps that he lost a bit of ground against the two English drivers who were racing on their home turf. “I’m very pleased with the result,” declared Biaggi. “After some difficult trials, we finally found the right tyres and balance, even though we had a few problems during the warm-ups. We had a great race, and we managed to set a pace that was just under the track record. I must compliment Ben, because he set an incredible pace. At the last chicane, the bike died out suddenly, but fortunately it started again and because of the lead I had gained over Haga, I still managed to cross the finish line in second place.” SBK, RACE 2: TWO CRASHES FOR BIAGGI AND NAKANO A pale sun peeked through the clouds to brighten up Race 2 of the UK SBK round. The 61,000 spectators that were present at Donington Park witnessed total domination by Ben Spies and a number of falls, most likely due to the higher temperature. The start of the race was exactly the same as Race 1, earlier today, with Spies ahead of everyone, followed by Biaggi once again, while Nakano moved into third position followed by Haga and Haslam. The American driver then began to break away from his competitors and only Biaggi managed to keep up with him. During the second lap Nakano ran into in a frightening high side that fortunately didn’t result in any injuries. During the fourth lap Biaggi lost his front tyre at the first curve and slipped to the ground, but quickly got back on his bike and returned to the race. Upon re-entry, Max came into contact with one of his adversaries along the outer kerb and slipped back to twentieth place. During the crash, the Roman pilot ended up with a bruise and a minor injury to the third metatarsal of his right foot, but he still managed to finish the race in twentieth place. The degree of his injuries will not prevent Max from participating in the Aprilia’s private test run on the Brno track that is scheduled for July 1st and 2nd. During the fifth lap, Haga, who was in second place at the time, fell at the end of the straightaway, and ended up with a fracture of one of his vertebrae. He was taken to hospital in Derby and the severity of his condition will only be known in the next few hours. So, it turned out to be a cake walk for Spies, who crossed the finish line with a significant lead over Haslam, who was racing on home turf and Fabrizio secured the third step on the podium. “During the second race, I felt the vibrations a lot more,” said Biaggi. “It was probably because of the fact that there wasn’t as much grip on the track which would also explain why there were so many falls. I started off well and I was able to keep up with Spies’ pace, but during the fourth lap I entered the U turn the same way I always do and about halfway through, I lost the front tyre. I managed to keep the motorcycle running, but re-entering from outer kerb area, I was hit by another driver and ended up with this minor injury to my foot. I’m disappointed because I could have had another spot on the podium.” “The results of Race 1 were good,” said Nakano, “considering the problems we encountered during the warm-ups, and even though I lost a lot of ground at the beginning. Instead, I started off much better in Race 2 and I realised that I would be able to keep up with the leaders, but during the second lap, I lost my rear tyre and flew into the air. Luckily I’m fine, even though I’m disappointed about how things ended up. On Wednesday we’ll do the test runs at Brno which will help me improve my feeling and develop the RSV4 for the next round.” More, from a press release issued by Team Sterilgarda: Team Sterilgarda BRC Racing confirmed themselves in the elite of World Superbikes as Shane Byrne finished fifth and fourth in his home round after riding two great races. In race 1, Shakey maintained position and got behind Spies, Biaggi and Haga, while a few tenths behind him Haslam, Nakano and Sykes followed . After a few laps, Byrne started having brake issues and so lost contact with the front runners who built a substantial advantage on him. He then had to battle to keep his position as he recovered in the faster part of the track but kept losing time in the last two corners of each lap due to brake problems. He was however overtaken by Haslam in a final duel and finished fifth. In race 2, Shakey did not get a good start and jumped to sixth place after the first lap with Fabrizio, Haslam, Haga, Biaggi and Spies in front of him. The 2008 BSB champion was constantly fast and got back in the fight for the podium with Haslam and Fabrizio. However, Shakey was overtaken in the end by Ducati’s official rider and had to settle for fourth. SHANE BYRNE | Ducati 1098R | 5th, 4th : “In race 1, I could’ve at least fought for the podium with Haga. Instead I encountered brake issues after three laps and so I couldn’t be as effective under braking. In the third split, with two slow corners, I lost 6-7 tenths. In race 2, the problem was fixed and despite a bad start I managed to get back in the fight for the podium in the tenth lap. Unfortunately, this time it didn’t go as I was hoping but I still proved that I have what it takes to fight for the top spots”. MARCO BORCIANI – team manager: “I’m really sorry for the brake problems. I’m sure Shakey could’ve fought for the podium in race 1. He did however prove he is a very talented rider after he grabbed the fifth place with those brake issues. In race 2, he did his best to take another podium but we’re quite happy nonetheless with what we did at Donington. We feel we have established ourselves as one of the better teams in World Superbikes”. More, from a press release issued by Airwaves Yamaha: A WILD WEEKEND FOR AIRWAVES YAMAHA Leon Camier and James Ellison had a tough outing at Donington Park today as Wild Card entries for the World Superbike Championship. Leon followed a 13th place finish in Race One with a fantastic ride from 20th to 6th in Race Two. James recovered from a DNF in Race One to finish 8th in Race Two. In Race One, from 14th on the grid, James made his way up to 11th by the end of the opening lap. One row behind, Leon suffered off the start, dropping to 21st. Following a brief battle with the BMW of Ruben Xaus and the Honda of John Hopkins, James chased down Carlos Checa in 10th. Separated by just 0.182s as they crossed the line to start lap 12, James passed Checa going through on the inside of the Old Hairpin. One lap later, James’ race came to end when he lost the rear going into McLeans. Leon meanwhile had been working hard to make his way past a number of riders. By lap 16 Leon was 13th and although he closed the gap to the group in front, was unable to make up any more places before the chequered flag. At the start of an an incident packed second race, James pushed his way up to 9th whilst Leon dropped back to 20th. As a number of riders ahead of them fell, James and Leon both worked their way through the field. By lap 14, Leon had managed to catch James in 6th, eventually overtaking him through Esses. On the penultimate lap, James was overtaken by Kiyonari on the Honda to finish in 8th, whilst Leon remained in 6th. On the days racing James said, “The start of Race One was pretty messy. There was a lot of fairing bashing so it was quite difficult to get a clean run to the first corner. We had a new engine for the race, and once I’d figured out how to ride it, I got my head down to chip away at the guys in front. I was looking forward to a good race, passing Hopkins and Checa cleanly. I’m so frustrated not to have finished. I lost the rear of the Airwaves Yamaha going into McLeans, but luckily I was ok for Race Two. “Before the second race we made some adjustments to the engine to prevent another similar crash, but again, it took some time to get used to. I knew I had to be more aggressive off the start and tried to pass as many people as possible into the first corner. Once I got behind Tom Sykes, the plan was to stay behind and challenge later on. But my tyres started to wear and I couldn’t do anything about it. This weekend has been good preparation for the rest of the BSB season, which is our main priority. I know I need to improve my riding to preserve the tyres. I’m looking forward to getting to Knockhill and making use of everything we’ve learnt.” After completing his first World Superbike Championship round Leon said, “Race One was tough. I struggled with braking, steering and a lack of grip. Plus my start was horrendous. The take-off point of the clutch was different and put me into a massive wheelie. It was difficult to pass with a lack of grip and brake problems, but I had to take the chance whenever I could.” “I was a lot happier with Race Two. I still suffered with brake problems but I just had to ride around them and overtake at every possible opportunity. My start was only slightly better compared to Race One, but still pretty terrible. To make my way up to 6th from 20th is a big achievement, and it’s thanks to the Airwaves Yamaha team for all their hard work. Both James and I gave them a lot of re-building to do over this weekend and they did a mega job.” More, from a press release issued by Infront Motor Sports: Spies closes gap at the top with double triumph at Donington Ben Spies (Yamaha World Superbike) pulled off another amazing double triumph in the ninth round of the Hannspree FIM Superbike World Championship in front of 61,000 spectators at Donington Park. The Texan has now reduced the 48 point gap at the top of the table to 14 from Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), who crashed in race 2, picking up a broken vertebra in the process. Haga’s Italian team-mate Michel Fabrizio was third in race 2 and is now 51 points behind. Aprilia had a good first race, with Max Biaggi second at the finish, while the best of the numerous British platoon present at Donington was Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda), who finished second to Spies in race 2. Race 1 Spies continued to steamroller his way to the wins in World Superbike as he took his ninth victory of the year in the first race. After setting his eighth pole in qualifying, the Texan rider dominated the 23-lap race but was shadowed all the way by Max Biaggi (Aprilia Racing). The Italian ran faultlessly in second until the final lap, when Ben upped the ante to power to the chequered flag, but Biaggi also encountered a fuel problem a couple of hundred metres from the flag and risked losing out on second. This was Biaggi’s first podium since Qatar. Third went to points leader Haga, who limited the damage in a race where he was not in a position to challenge for the win. In the all-British battle for fourth place, Haslam got the better of Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati). Aprilia’s excellent performance was completed by a sixth place for Shinya Nakano. Home idol and Misano winner Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) could only finish in seventh, ahead of John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda). Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) had a gear change problem and could only finish 12th, while Ruben Xaus scored one point for BMW. Ben Spies: “It was a tough race for us, Max was there the whole time and we were both able to do quick laps. I got a bit of a gap then made a couple of mistakes and he got back on me. The last three laps I rode as hard as I could, we got down to the 30s, then I couldn’t hear Max coming into the chicane on the last lap so knew something was wrong and I took the last corners easy. We can’t be too conservative now, we have to claw back and get a whole lot of points in a couple of races.” Max Biaggi: “I am very happy with this result after a very hard decision we made in free practice and qualifying. Yesterday we found a way to go fast and we made the right choice in tyres and the balance was correct. In the warm-up we had some problems but for the race we fixed most of them. Just on the last lap at the last chicane we had some trouble, I don’t know what, the bike just stopped and then went back again in the last few metres before the flag. I think I deserved second!” Noriyuki Haga: “I tried to do my best but the front two guys were very fast. I tried to catch up for the victory but I had to settle for third position. Of course during the laps I tried to push and catch them up but it was quite difficult. Our package was quite different but for the next race we try to change something to improve the riding of the bike.” Results: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 34’57.230 (158,831 kph); 2. Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 7.156; 3. Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 10.968; 4. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 18.843; 5. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 19.125; 6. Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 21.286; 7. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 23.644; 8. Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 32.849; 9. Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 32.904; 10. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 33.192; 11. Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 34.535; 12. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 35.093; 13. Camier L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 35.441; 14. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 39.034; 15. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 41.067; 16. Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 46.4 Race 2 Spies also dominated the second race, but this time without any pressure from his rivals. The Yamaha man immediately pulled away at the start to pick up a seven second lead, which he administered easily to pick up his tenth win of the year. Spies’ double coincided with a disaster for Haga, who crashed out of second place on lap 5 while trying to make up ground on the leader. The Japanese rider was taken to hospital in Derby with a fractured vertebra and other injuries. Race 2 saw a British rider on the podium, thanks to Haslam, who held off Fabrizio. With the outcome of this race, the Italian keeps alive his title chances. Byrne put on another good show, finishing fourth ahead of fellow Brit Tom Sykes. Xaus again scored points for BMW, this time with a positive ninth place. Both Aprilia riders crashed out, Biaggi suffering a hairline crack in his right foot in the process, but remounting to finish 21st, while John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda) did not make it to the start of race 2, the still-injured American totally exhausted after his race 1 efforts Ben Spies: “It was a picture perfect weekend, I know Haga had a big crash and hope he’s OK. That’s not the way you want to do it but you’ve got to capitalize when things go wrong. The track was definitely hot in the second race and a little bit slick so we made some changes to the bike that made it better. Fortunately we didn’t have to push to the absolute limit but it all worked great today.” Leon Haslam: “We’ve been struggling for the past few rounds with unknown circuits and I really wanted to get on that podium today. I feel good, obviously feel sorry for Haga because I was pushing him hard and I was pretty happy to get second. In the first race I was really suffering from chatter but everyone in the team has been behind me all weekend so a big thanks to them.” Michel Fabrizio: “Today Ben was very fast and it was impossible to catch him. In the first race I had a problem with the gear change, while in the second I had a great battle with Haslam. I am very happy with the result, but very sorry for Haga and his crash.” Results: 1. Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 35’14.788 (157,512 kph); 2. Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 6.622; 3. Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 6.816; 4. Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 7.349; 5. Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 8.145; 6. Camier L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 13.463; 7. Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 15.751; 8. Ellison J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 16.837; 9. Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 22.891; 10. Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 30.347; 11. Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 30.622;12. Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 31.562; 13. Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 32.148; 14. Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 32.607; 15. Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 32.806; 16. Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 34.269 Points (after 9 of 14 rounds): 1. Haga 308; 2. Spies 294; 3. Fabrizio 257; 4. Rea 177; 5. Haslam 167; 6. Biaggi 155; 7. Sykes 141; 8. Smrz 115; 9. Checa 114; 10. Byrne 113. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 383; 2. Yamaha 337; 3. Honda 273; 4. Aprilia 162; 5. Suzuki 131; 6. Bmw 70; 7. Kawasaki 47 World Supersport Coventry man Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha World Supersport) had a terrific homecoming race at the Donington circuit as he shrugged off the broken ankle he picked up in qualifying to take a dominant fourth win of the year. His chief rival in the title battle Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda), together with Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Provec) tried hard in the early stages, but the Irishman crashed at the Melbourne Hairpin and the Spaniard had to take second best after Crutchlow upped the pace in the final part. Laverty rejoined and worked his way back up the field from 22nd place to fifth overall. It was a great result for veteran Australian Garry McCoy, who gave Triumph its first ever podium in Supersport. Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) could only finish fourth and is now 64 points away from the top of the standings, while team-mate Andrew Pitt fared even worse to finish in tenth. Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda) scored his best result of the year in seventh behind Barry Veneman (George White Ten Kate Honda). Results: 1. Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R6 34’15.876 (154,981 kph); 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 5.391; 3. McCoy G. (AUS) Triumph Daytona 675 14.918; 4. Sofuoglu K. (TUR) Honda CBR600RR 22.248; 5. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR600RR 37.054; 6. Veneman B. (NED) Honda CBR600RR 39.079; 7. Vizziello G. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 39.978; 8. Nannelli G. (ITA) Triumph Daytona 675 42.733 Points (after 9 of 14 rounds): 1. Crutchlow 185; 2. Laverty 157; 3. Sofuoglu 121; 4. Lascorz 106; 5. Pitt 79; 6. West 75; 7. Foret 63; 8. Aitchison 61; 9. McCoy 55; 10. Pirro 49. Manufacturers: 1. Honda 191; 2. Yamaha 185; 3. Kawasaki 117; 4. Triumph 69; 5. Suzuki 30 Superstock 1000 After four second places, Xavier Simeon scored his first win of the season on the Xerox Ducati 1098, the Belgian increasing his lead in the championship to 11 points over his closest rival, Claudio Corti (Alstare Suzuki). The Belgian led the race from lights to flag, gradually easing off towards the end. Corti had a great race, recovering to finish second from 22nd on the grid, while Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Honda) also ran well, setting fastest lap in 1’33″516, and taking the final podium slot after also moving up from row 6. Fourth place went to Javi Fores (Kawasaki Pedercini), who finished ahead of the two Frenchmen Sylvain Barrier (Garnier) and Loris Baz (MRS), both on Yamahas, and Daniele Beretta (Ducati Xerox) in seventh. Results: 1. Simeon X. (BEL) Ducati 1098R 18’54.713 (153,161 kph); 2. Corti C. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K91.600; 3. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 2.110; 4. Fores J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 2.522; 5. Barrier S. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 3.433; 6. Baz L. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R1 5.596; 7. Beretta D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 9.556; 8. Schouten R. (NED) Yamaha YZF R1 10.646 Points (after 5 of 10 rounds): 1. Simeon 105; 2. Corti 94; 3. Berger 82; 4. Fores 64; 5. Barrier 54; 6. Beretta 45; 7. Baz 33: 8. Jezek 32; 9. Magnoni 19; 10. Burrell 19. Manufacturers: 1. Ducati 105: 2. Suzuki 94; 3. Honda 92; 4. Kawasaki 64; 5. Yamaha 62; 6. MV Agusta 18; 7. Aprilia 8 Superstock 600 The Superstock 600 championship battle was thrown wide-open after points leader Danilo Petrucci (Yamaha Trasimeno) crashed out on the second lap after being taken out by Vincent Lonbois (MTM Yamaha) while in the lead. The Italian remounted to finish ninth, a result that allowed him to maintain his points lead. The chasing riders Gino Rea (Ten Kate Honda) and Marco Bussolotti (Yamaha Trasimeno) are now 4 and 11 points down on the leader respectively. The British rider and the Italian fought it out for the win at the end of a terrific scrap, and in the end it was Bussolotti who took the chequered flag for his first win of the year. Third place went to Frenchman Jeremy Guarnoni (MRS Yamaha), while Eddi La Marra (Lorini Honda) missed a good chance by crashing out on lap 6 while in the lead of the race. The Italian recovered to finish 12th. Results: 1. Bussolotti M. (ITA) Yamaha YZF R6 16’18.425 (148,022 kph); 2. Rea G. (GBR) Honda CBR600RR 0.213; 3. Guarnoni J. (FRA) Yamaha YZF R6 2.126; 4. Guittet B. (FRA) Honda CBR600RR 6.948; 5. Kerschbaumer S. (AUT) Yamaha YZF R6 11.136; 6. Morelli N. (ITA) Honda CBR600RR 14.695; 7. Chmielewski A. (POL) Yamaha YZF R6 14.780 8. Lonbois V. (BEL) Yamaha YZF R6 16.782 Points (after 5 of 10 rounds): 1. Petrucci 82; 2. Rea 78; 3. Bussolotti 71; 4. Guarnoni 70; 5. Lonbois 64; 6. Kerschbaumer 43; 7. Guittet 40; 8. La Marra 39; 9. Litjens 38; 10. Chmielewski 30 More, from a press release issued by HANNspree Ten Kate Honda: Just a week after his debut World Superbike championship victory at Misano in Italy, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea finished seventh and 15th in today’s two ninth-round races at Donington Park in the UK. Both races were won by American Ben Spies as Rea and his team-mate Carlos Checa continued their familiarisation with new suspension components for their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblades. Checa finished 11th in race one but crashed out of fifth place on lap six of the second 23-lap encounter around the 4.023km Donington Park circuit. Rea had slid off at the first gear Goddards left-hander three laps earlier, after charging into sixth place from 12th on the grid. The gutsy 22-year-old from Northern Ireland remounted in 28th and last place and fought his way back to 15th at the flag. Jonathan Rea 7th and 15th I knew we were going to struggle here, but I didn’t think it would be this hard. Donington is a very difficult place to find the right set up because you have the fast-flowing first section and then a series of first-gear corners at the end of the lap. We changed quite a bit after the first race the rear linkage and some other things. The bike was very different to ride but I was still struggling in the last sector where I’ve been having problems all weekend. And that’s where I crashed off the brake, off the throttle, and just lost the front. I picked it up and collected a point, which could be important at the end of the season. We’ll aim to find a good base setting for this new suspension when we test at Imola in a couple of weeks, and take the rest of the season from there. Carlos Checa 11th and DNF It’s a real shame because the bike was definitely easier to ride faster in race two. I was trying to keep the pressure on but just lost the front at Redgate and that was the end of the race. I’ve hurt my ribs a bit but it’s not too bad. The first race was very difficult also, even though the start was not too bad. We need to spend some time working on the new components, so it is good that we have the test in two weeks. Ronald ten Kate team manager In race one we just didn’t have the pace to match the front runners, which was a bit of a surprise because yesterday, during some longer runs, we were quite a bit faster. We changed the set-up quite a bit for race two in which Jonathan showed both before and after his crash that he definitely had the pace to match the front runners. Now we go to Imola for a test, which will be good for us to spend some time working with the new suspension for the rest of the season. More, from a press release issued by Stiggy Racing Honda: Haslam flies the flag for Honda and the Brits on home soil Stiggy Racing Honda Leon Haslam flew the flag for Honda and the Brits in the ninth round for the World Superbike championship at his home track at Donington today. The 26-year old British ace took a fourth place in the first 23-lap superbike race, and highlighted another superb performance for the team in the second outing as he impressively snuffed fellow British riders as well as the other Honda’s in the field. While chasing race leader Ben Spies, Haslam found a persistent Shane Byrne pushing at his rear wheel, but the man from Derby successfully outpaced the Ducati rider and took a well deserved second place on the rostrum in his home race. John Hopkins made his return with the team after sitting out the last eight races and claimed his first top ten finish onboard the Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR since he entered the championship. Hopkins defied the pain in his left hip while he kept the door closed on his rivals and surprised everyone as he took an impressive eight place at the flag. Unfortunately, the American had to sacrifice the offer he made as the swelling of his injuries prevented a second race start. Hopkins chose to nurse his injuries and watched the second race from the sideline. In the best round of the season so far the Stiggy Racing Honda team have shown their capacities and set out their goals for the remainder of the 14-round championship season. Leon Haslam, Race 1 – 4th, Race 2 – 2nd: “After going to all these foreign countries it is so good to be back home and taking a good result in front of the English fans. To get the reception I got here today is just amazing. I was pushing for a good result here today and to be on the podium in the second race is just great. I had a few chatter issues in both races, but I managed to hold them off. Everyone seemed to be struggling with the grip in that second session. I felt pretty good on the first and second sector, but the Ducatis were really strong on the last split, so I had to work hard to keep them behind me. The pace was not that good, but I managed to hold it up and bring the bike home in second. I am looking forward to our test in Brno and am ready to make one more step ahead now and get on top of that podium.” John Hopkins, Race 1 – 8th, Race 2 – DNS: “First of all I want to apologise to the team and sponsors for not being able to ride the second race today. I got off the line really good in the first race but just poked around on the first lap and was not as aggressive as I normally am. But as the adrenaline kicked in I picked my way up to gain as many positions as possible. Halfway the race the pain kicked in and I struggled to move on the bike. From the whole of turn one to the end of the straight I just had to sit still on the bike and not put any pressure on my left leg. It is a good result for the condition I was in today. I have five days of testing coming up now and I am just really happy to be having fun on a motorcycle again. Even though I was in a lot of pain today, it was the best race I have had in the last two years. I have a lot of fun on the bike again, and that’s when you start getting faster.” Johan Stigefelt, Team Manager: “I am very happy with the fist race. Leon did very well and took the fourth position. John has just done a fantastic job again and surprised us all. He really has shown he is a top rider and we can’t wait for him to be back on full strength. A fourth and eighth finish in one race is the best result for our team so far this season. Unfortunately John could not ride the second race as he is still in too much pain. He couldn’t even get off the bike without help after the first race. He will now concentrate on getting fit for our test in Brno next week. Leon rode an amazing set of races here at his home track. He had some small issues but kept his head down and managed to keep his second place till the finish. I am very happy with the results he has achieved for the team and I am pleased he could achieve this in his home race in front of our English guests.” More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda: After a difficult weekend during practice and qualifying, Ten Kate Honda Racing’s Ryuichi Kiyonari scored two top ten finishes in today’s ninth round World Superbike championship races at Donington Park in the UK. Both 23-lappers around the 4.023km circuit were won by American Ben Spies, as Kiyonari fought hard to improve on his starting position of 20th on the grid. On 15 and 16 July, the Japanese ace will travel to the Imola circuit in Italy for a test with his team and the new suspension components that have been evaluated over the last two races. Ryuichi Kiyonari 10th and 7th The first race here was very difficult after the problems we have had during the weekend, so we made some changes to the rear for race two. In fact, it was quite a big change and we altered three things with the rear shock. On the sighting lap it felt quite OK but during the race it was better but not perfect. I hope that the test at Imola will allow us to fully test these new parts to get a better setting for the bike so I can make better results for the rest of the season. Ronald ten Kate team manager Kiyo-san’s setting was a little better for race two but, with the problems he had in qualifying, which gave him a difficult starting position, it was going to be hard in the races. I’m very happy for this two-day test in Imola that will allow us to test fully the Ohlins suspension in Kiyo’s CBR1000RR. This will hopefully give him a better feeling and the chance to push for better results. More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: HAGA (DUCATI XEROX) TAKES HIS 100TH SUPERBIKE PODIUM IN RACE 1; BAD ACCIDENT IN RACE 2. PODIUM FOR FABRIZIO IN RACE 2 Donington Park (UK), Sunday 28th June: with the third place finish achieved in Race 1 at Donington Park today, Noriyuki Haga becomes the third rider in Superbike history to have obtained 100 podiums. Unfortunately in race 2 Haga was victim of a serious crash in which he has suffered a fracture of one of the spinal vertebrae. He has been transferred this afternoon to Derby hospital where the medical team will further evaluate the situation. In the first race Noriyuki made a strong start and found himself in third position behind Spies and Biaggi. When the leading two began to pull away the Japanese rider did all he could to stick with them but the gap increased and Noriyuki rode a lonely last few laps. His team-mate Michel lost a few position at the start and found it subsequently difficult to make up the lost ground, mainly due to a technical problem with the gears. Losing further positions in the final phase of the race, Fabrizio was however able to collect three points, finishing in twelfth place. In Race 2 Nakano and Rea crashed out early on living Fabrizio a small advantage; in the initial laps the Italian rider progressed from ninth to third position. Despite Byrne’s defensive riding, Michel finally managed to pass him aftger nineteen laps, maintaining second position as far as the checkered flag. Noriyuki made another good start and was in second place by the end of the first lap, but on the fourth lap he suffered a bad fall while entering Coppice Corner. He was immediately transferred to the track’s medical centre where the doctors declared a fracture of one of his vertebrae. At this point it was decided to move him by helicopter to Derby hospital where he will receive further medical attention. Noriyuki ha finished on the podium in thirteen of the eighteen races run so far, Michel in eleven; with today’s results, the Ducati Xerox team continue their 100% podium record. Noriyuki is only the third ever rider in Superbike history to score 100 podiums; only Corser with 128 and Fogarty with 109 have achieved more. Of the 100 podiums, 39 have been race wins. Haga continues to lead the championship, holding 308 points ahead of Spies with 294 and Fabrizio with 257. Ducati leads the constructors classification with 383 points to Yamaha’s 337. Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 3rd, Race 2 DNF) Race 1: “I’m very happy to have made the podium today because we knew it would be a very difficult weekend. I am proud to have reached the 100 podium mark! At the start of Race 1 I did all I could to stick with Max and Ben but, even though I was pushing, today they seemed to have a small advantage and I was unable to do better than third.” Race 2: Haga, after today’s accident, was unavavilable for comment at time of print. Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 12th, Race 2 3rd) “Race 1 was very difficult, I had a problem with the gears and because of this I lost several positions. I couldn’t do much to improve the situation and in the end I could only bring home three points. Before Race 2 we decided to go out with the second bike. I again made a bad start but immediately started to work to regain ground. I spent most of the race battling it out against Byrne and Haslam, just managing to pass Shakey near the end. I’m happy with my race 2 result but I am of course sorry for Nori. I saw the accident and it reminded me of Troy’s crash in the same place two years ago, both serious.” RESULTS: Race 1 1. Spies (Yamaha); 2. Biaggi (Aprilia); 3. Haga (Ducati Xerox); Race 2 1. Spies (Yamaha); 2. Haslam (Honda); 3. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) CLASSIFICATION: Riders 1. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 308; 2. Spies (Yamaha) 294; 3. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 257; 4. Rea (Honda) 177; 5. Haslam (Honda) 167; 6. Biaggi (Aprilia) 155. Manufacturers Ducati 383; Yamaha 337; Honda 273; Aprilia 162; Suzuki 131; BMW 70; Kawasaki 47 More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport: TOP TEN FOR RUBEN. Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport rider Ruben Xaus took a superb ninth place in the second Superbike World Championship race at Donington Park this afternoon. In sunny conditions, Ruben fought his way up through the field from the fourth row of the grid to take his third top ten finish of the season. This followed his 15th place in race one and showed that he and the team have recovered from their recent poor results. Ruben’s team mate Troy did not enjoy such a good day. A crash in race one, when he found a false neutral, and general lack of grip meant a real struggle in race two. But despite the grip problems, Troy kept going and managed to finish the race, albeit outside the points. American Ben Spies (Yamaha) won both 23-lap races today and closed the gap on series leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) to just fourteen points. And with Haga injured in race two, and facing a possible lengthy layoff due to a back injury, Spies should be able to take advantage of the situation in the next few races. Max Biaggi (Aprilia) took runner-up spot in race one, with Haga third and and Leon Haslam (Honda) fourth. Second to Spies in a race two was Haslam, with Michel Fabrizio (Ducati) third and Shane Byrne (Ducati) fourth. Ruben – Race 1: 15th, Race 2: 9th That was a tough weekend and I really know that I have done two hard races today. At the moment, the bike is very demanding physically and mentally and it requires a lot of concentration. I am happy to get a top ten finish, but I would be more happy if Troy and I would be getting top six finishes for sure. Today our bike was good in the fast corners, but we lost out on the slow ones. My riding style is more aggressive than Troy and for that you have to be 100% fit. Troy is not 100% fit yet, so he is having a harder time getting the bike round the track at the speeds he would like to do. I see positive signs ahead and I am looking forward to the next two tests. Troy – Race 1: DNF, Race 2: 20th For me, it was a terrible day and not such a good weekend. All weekend, I have being having a problem because of the lack of grip and today it was as bad as it has ever been. The bike felt hard to ride today and I got a lot of wheelspin and found it hard to stop it wheelieing. In race one, the bike just jumped out of gear when I tried to backshift from third to second and I was forced into the gravel and had to lay the bike down. Fortunately, I didn’t hurt myself at all, but it was an unnecessary crash. Race two was all about grip, or lack of it. But I kept going, even though I was losing places, because I wanted to give the team as much telemetry info as possible. Berti Hauser (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director) This weekend has given us a lot of surprises. We were surprised that the weather was not as expected, or forecasted. Happily the conditions were dry for both races, which means that we have a huge package of information and data to take back to our workshops. Regarding the results: we know where we are in the rankings. We know what technical issues we have to improve and we will address them for the next tests. I am happy that Ruben managed a top ten and would like to compliment Troy on bringing the bike home in race two despite difficult circumstances. We don’t have any deep disappointment this weekend. We realise that we have a lot of work to do and we need to keep improving every time Ruben and Troy go out on the bike. More, from a press release issued by Honda: British World Superbike at Donington Park Sunday 28 June 2009 World Superbike and World Supersport race report Weather: Race one 20 degrees air, 25 degrees track, Race two 23 degrees air 35 degrees track. HASLAM’S PODIUM A HIGH POINT FOR HONDA RIDERS AT DONINGTON A second place finish in the second race of the day for Leon Haslam (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) was the single best Honda rider performance at Donington, in a day when the championship fight became a closer contest at the top and in the middle of the championship table. Ben Spies won the first race from pole, with Max Biaggi and Noriyuki Haga behind, but a fight through from a third row start of ninth saw Haslam finish fourth at his first home race. Better was to come in race two, as Haslam capitalised on the early opportunity to chase Spies, and he resisted strong pressure from the fast group in close attendance over the final laps. Four riders all finished within 1.5 seconds of second place. Spies won the second race by a clear margin once again, but Championship leader Noriyuki Haga crashed out at Coppice, and was taken to hospital in Derby with vertebrae, scapula and right wrist injures. In the championship fight Haga now has 308, Spies 294 and Fabrizio 257. Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) has 177 points, Haslam 167. Rea, who qualified 12th in Superpole, found his set-up less able to handle the slower corners at Donington, and thus he was a fighting seventh in race one, but fell at Goddards in the second race, remounting to finish 15th. After being unable to race at Misano last weekend, John Hopkins (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR1000RR) got through practice in 11th place in Superpole, then rode to an impressive eighth in race one, before pain and lack of movement from his injured hip caused him to withdraw from race two. Former British Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was off the podium in his return to his old adopted home, going tenth in the opener, and finishing seventh in race two, 15 seconds behind the winner. He had been only 20th in qualifying, making his two races tales of rapid recovery. Spaniard Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) was a second row qualifier, but was one of a whole raft of crashers in race two, only scoring a 11th place finish in race one. Matthieu Lagrive (Honda Althea CBR1000RR) made good progress in only his second ever WSB meeting, just missing points in race one by one place, but posting 12th in race two. He had only been 24th on the starting grid. Vittorio Iannuzzo (Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR) failed to finish either race, and was only 31st fastest in qualifying. WSS RACE Sofuoglu Fourth As Strong Laverty Recover Keeps Him In The Running Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) replicated his fourth place qualifying result in today’s 22-lap World Supersport race and in doing so kept himself third in the championship fight. The Turkish rider headed up a quartet of fast Honda riders at Donington, the first of which was second place qualifier Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR). Laverty’s race was an incredibly dramatic affair, as he fell from third position on lap three, kept his machine running and restarted, in 26th place. His main championship rival Cal Crutchlow was soon leading a race he would eventually win. Laverty’s incredible ride through the pack to fifth puts him 28 points behind Crutchlow, with five rounds still remaining. Barry Veneman took his Honda to sixth, just ahead of a resurgent Gianluca Vizziello (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) who qualified only 22nd but rode with supreme confidence to take seventh, after some radical changes to his machine in morning warm-up. It was his best finish of the year. Another tough raceday for 2008 champion Andrew Pitt (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) saw him start from 15th on the grid and finish tenth, experiencing problems with his machine backing into corners. Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR) retired after qualifying 13th, crashing on lap nine. Anthony West (Stiggy Racing Honda CBR600RR) also crashed out of contention, while pushing for a top six finish. A promising weekend for Mark Aitchison (Althea Honda CBR600RR) was ended prematurely when he clashed with Katsuaki Fujiwara on lap four. He had been fifth in qualifying and fifth in the race when his crash put him out. Flavio Gentile (Althea Honda CBR600RR) was 17th in his second race for his team. After the Donington weekend there is an official test at Imola for WSS and WSB riders, at Imola on 15 and 16 July, then the next round is at Brno, Czech Republic, between 24 and 26 July. RIDER COMMENTS Jonathan Rea: “In the first race we lost five seconds to the Haslam and Byrne battle at the start and at the end of the race we were five seconds behind. I needed to be more aggressive in the second race start and it worked out; I was fifth or sixth. Then I lost the front, and looking at the telemetry I had arrived at the corner literally only a couple of kmph faster than before. We struggled in that slow sector of the racetrack all weekend.” Leon Haslam: “There was a slower pace in race two and my problem in each race was chatter. In race two I got a little bit better start and learned a thing or two that we were struggling with. I was just catching Biaggi as he went down so it would have been another fight for third or fourth place in that race. But to hold off Fabrizio and Byrne and take second, after missing out in race one, I was pretty happy.” Ryuichi Kiyonari: “The first race was very difficult after the problems we have had during the weekend, so we made some changes to the rear for race two. In fact, it was quite a big change and we altered three things with the rear shock. On the sighting lap it felt quite OK but during the race it was better but not perfect. I hope that the test at Imola will allow us to fully test these new parts to get a better setting for the bike so I can make better results for the rest of the season.” Carlos Checa: “I was able to ride a little faster because of the changes we made after race one, but I just lost the front going into Redgate. It is a shame because the changes we made were not quite enough. I have hurt my ribs as well so I am going to get myself checked-out.” John Hopkins: “I got off the line really good but just poked around on the first lap and was not as aggressive as I normally am. As the adrenaline kicked in I picked my way up to gain as many positions as possible. Halfway the race the pain kicked in and I struggled to move on the bike. It is a good result for the condition I was in today. Even though I was in a lot of pain today, it was the best race I have had in the last two years. I have had a lot of fun on the bike again, and that’s when you start getting faster.” Matthieu Lagrive: “I was fighting with good riders like Lanzi, Kagayama, but I do not have the experience yet to really compete with them. I am OK, for me the team was really good, the settings were good and we know which direction to go in to have a top ride next time as well. I prefer to finish the first couple of Superbike races to make sure all is OK and when I grow in confidence I will try to push more.” WSS Rider Comments Eugene Laverty: “My rear wheel spun up, came round and I slid off. This was a problem we found yesterday in practice and thought we had cured it but the temperatures are different today and that might have made the difference. I got back on and gave it my all to get back in the points from 26th. There were a lot of yellow flags and after passing people I had to let them go through again before taking the position back, which made it tough. I am now 28-points behind Cal in the Championship but that’s a lot better than recording a DNF. Donington Park hasn’t been kind to us but it could have been a lot worse.” Kenan Sofuoglu: “I am really disappointed and we had so many different problems. No grip in the exit, no grip in the entry, feels like from the back, and we had some electronics problems as well. It is not normal what we are doing now. I see how other riders can open the throttle exiting corners and I cannot believe how they do it.” Andrew Pitt: “Things are not working at the moment, as we’re backing into corners and chattering. We didn’t have chatter problems in practice and we had really bad chatter in the race so something was not right. Every time I ran into a turn we missed it. It was really hard work to hang onto that and only finish tenth.” Anthony West: “On the first lap I almost highsided coming out of the chicane, and landed back on the seat. A few went past me and I got past them again then started to catch Aitchison and Fujiwara. I wasn’t pushing too hard but going into the hairpin I lost the front. We have been running higher pressure on the front tyre and it has been working but as the track temperature went up I think it got too hot. We need the next test in Imola.” Mark Aitchison: “I almost ran into Eugene’s bike when he fell and I lost some time. Because I had lost some ground I tried to bridge it back and then at the Old Hairpin Fujiwara hit me and that was that. It’s frustrating because we could have been in a good position today.” Gianluca Vizziello: “We had a lot of problems in the team for set-up this weekend but we made a big change in morning warm-up and big change in results. Good work, great job from the guys and I really had confidence to ride like I wanted. My best position this year so for Brno a top five and Imola a podium!” Miguel Praia: “I lost the front of my bike going into Redgate corner. It is frustrating as I had just got into 11th and was pushing hard to get to the group in front that was fighting for sixth. I needed to go for the better result, I felt confident and my Parkalgar Honda was excellent. It is a shame but we will learn from this and be stronger at the next round.” Flavio Gentile: “We solved quite all the problems we have had during the qualifying and so my race was better than we can image. I had quite a good start and my pace was consistent. I think seventeenth was the best I could do, due to my bad position on the starting grid. I want to thank all the technicians in my team for the great job.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: The ninth round of this year’s Superbike World Championship at Donington Park will not be remembered fondly by team Suzuki Alstare Brux riders Yukio Kagayama and Blake Young: Kagayama’s lowly grid position was always going to present problems at the British circuit and although he fought his hardest, as usual, all he had to show at the end of the day was a 17th in race one and a 13th in race two. Whilst there may have been some expectations on him to get into the top-10, there were no such expectations on rookie Blake Young: The 21-year old American was plunged into the deep end this weekend and found himself in unfamiliar territory. But to his credit, he kept working away and finished 25th in race one, but then made a significant improvement in race two by taking 17th position. Yukio Kagayama – Race 1: 17th, Race 2: 13th: “This weekend was not an easy one because we had problems with rear grip. We tried many different things over the weekend – suspension, geometry, gear ratios – but we were not able to improve the bike. We also tried a different swinging-arm for race two, but no big change, although he feeling was a bit better. “All in all it was a frustrating time for me and my team. I know that they worked as hard as they could and I know that I rode as hard as I could, but we did not get any good results. I am a very experienced rider and my team is very knowledgeable, but we still could not find any solutions. I am sorry for Francis and the whole team because our results today were no better than a privateer.” Blake Young – Race 1: 25th, Race 2: 17th: “Race two was obviously better for me than race one, but I would’ve liked to have done better still. I made pretty good starts in both races, but it’s difficult in the early stages of the races because everybody is dive-bombing each other! Once the packs split up a bit, it was easier for me to get a good rhythm. This has been a great learning experience for me and I would like to do it again. The team has been great and I would like to thank Francis Batta and Alstare for giving me this tremendous opportunity.” WSB Results: Race 1: 1 Spies (USA-Yamaha), 2 Biaggi (ITA-Aprilia), 3 Haga (JPN-Ducati), 4 Haslam (GBR-Honda), 5 Byrne (GBR-Ducati), 6 Nakano (JPN-Aprilia). 17 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Suzuki Alstare Brux). 25 Blake Young (USA-Suzuki Alstare Brux). Race 2: 1 Spies, 2 Haslam, 3 Fabrizio (ITA-Ducati), 4 Byrne, 5 Sykes (GBR-Yamaha), 6 Camier (GBR-Yamaha). 13 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Suzuki Alstare Brux). 17 Blake Young (USA-Suzuki Alstare Brux). Championship Points: 1 Haga 308, 2 Spies 294, 3 Fabrizio 257, 4 Rea 177, 5 Haslam 167, 6 Biaggi 155. 12 Yukio Kagayama (JPN-Suzuki Alstare Brux) 94. 15 Max Neukirchner (D-Suzuki Alstare Brux) 75. SUPERSTOCK 1000 FIM CUP: Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Claudio Corti made a mockery of his lowly grid position and finished a superb second in today’s fifth round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup at Donington. Corti started from the sixth row of the grid but rocketed off the line when the lights turned to green and was in an unbelievable ninth at the end of the opening lap. He continued to force his way though the field before sweeping past Javi Fores (Kawasaki) and into second place with four laps to go. By then the race leader Xavi Simeon (Ducati) had too much of an advantage and Corti had to settle for runner-up spot. Claudio Corti – 2nd: “Right from the start I was determined to give this race my everything. I made a good start and moved through the field without too many problems. I was having fun because the bike was working perfectly and I was a bit disappointed that the race finished so soon! It’s impossible to speculate what might have happened if my grid position had not been so bad, but I am very happy to get second place today and keep in touch with the championship leader. ” Results: 1 Simeon (B-Ducati), 2 Claudio Corti (I-Suzuki Alstare Brux), 3 Berger (F-Honda), 4 Fores (E-Kawasaki), 5 Barrier (F-Yamaha), 6 Baz (F-Yamaha). Championship points: 1 Simeon 105, 2 Claudio Corti (I-Suzuki Alstare Brux) 94, 3 Berger 82, 4 Fores 64, 5 Barrier 54, 6 Beretta 45. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies made it a clean sweep at Donington today, blowing away the competition to take both races with decisive and well earned wins. Race one saw the American rider take an early lead, closely followed by Aprilia rider Max Biaggi. No matter how hard Biaggi tried he was unable to close the final gap to challenge Spies and settled for second at the flag. Race two saw Spies again take an early lead, repeating the performance of Miller as he gained nearly a second a lap as he pulled away until he had over a 7.4 second advantage. He ran a lonely race at the front to claim his second win of the day, a separate class to the following pack. Team-mate Tom Sykes had a less than perfect start to the first of his home races. Coming in hot to the hairpin on the ninth lap he braked hard over the bumpy surface and lost the front of the bike, crashing out. Race two saw a good start from the British rider who despite having issues with the front brakes managed to lay down consistent fast lap after lap, towards the end of the race he was the fastest man on the circuit and the only one to touch under the 1.32 mark in the closing stages. As others crashed out and Sykes rode faster he made it to fifth position at the flag. After a serious crash ruled Haga out of race two, the day’s wins brings Ben Spies up to 294 points in the championship, now just 14 points from the top. Tom Sykes takes 11 points from his second race, keeping him in seventh position, just 14 points from nearest rival Max Biaggi. Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1st, 1st) “it was a picture perfect weekend. It was a tough race, Max was there the whole time but we were able to do quick laps to stay ahead, the last three laps I rode as hard as I could just to make sure of the win. In the second race I knew Nori had a big crash and I hope he’s ok. It’s not the way we want to win it but you have to take the points when you can. It was a good second race for us though. The track was hot and a bit slick so we made some changes to the bike which made it better from race one. It was a good job for Leon, getting on the podium at his home round was great, I know how that feels. It was tough being out on my own, I had to focus lap to lap to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes. I can’t thank the Yamaha guys enough we changed a lot of things around and they came and delivered me two really good bikes to win on.” Tom Sykes, Yamaha World Superbike Team (DNF, 5th) “I found a good race setting in warm up this morning and was ready for the first race. I was very confident with my pace in the race but frustrated with my row three start. I was just breaking into a rhythm and unfortunately arrived into the last corner just a bit too hot and lost the front over the bumps, I couldn’t believe it as it was my first DNF of the year so I was looking to improve in race two. I had big issues with a lack of braking which held me up. I’m really gutted as I think it cost me a podium, and capped off a bad weekend for the points. I really thought we could come away from the weekend in fifth. On the plus side I think we’ve seen some more of the old Tom Sykes this weekend, consistent in practice and qualifying and fast and consistent in race two. I’m hoping to take this to Brno and make it work there.” Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager “Myself and the team want express our best wishes for Nori, we hope to see him back racing soon. The weekend has been really successful for us, a double win, Superpole and valuable championship points. We have reduced the gap down to 14 points. Ben rode incredibly well in both races, he was faultless all weekend in every session. Tom definitely got his confidence back on the bike which was really important for us, and only missed the podium by a few tenths of a second. We go to Imola now to learn the circuit and to prepare for the next race in Brno. A big thank you to the team who have worked very hard to make our weekend’s racing success possible.” More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Points For Parkes In England WSBK, Donington Park, Great Britain, 28 June 2009 Kawasaki World Superbike Team rider Broc Parkes recorded 14th in race two at Donington as a difficult race weekend finally delivered a couple of points for the team’s great efforts. Parkes’ team-mate Jamie Hacking was out of the top 15 in race one, and was unfortunate to fall in the second 23-lap contest, running of track, toppling over in the sand on lap two and being unable to restart. Parkes battled in the turns at Donington, and despite some tyre choice issues in race two he came good in a multiple rider battle for the last points. The Aussie rider is 18th in the standings, on 27 points after nine of 14 events. Hacking, replacing injured team regular Makoto Tamada once again, was racing at home in some regards as he was born in the UK and still has dual citizenship. His characteristic grit shone through in race one, going from 30th and last to 18th. Local wild card rider Simon Andrews used his track knowledge to score a top ten in race two, on his MSS Ninja ZX-10R. After a test at Imola on July 15th and 16th, the team will go to Brno on July 24-26 for round ten of the series. Broc Parkes: “We got some points at the end. The first race we got a really bad start but a good pace, and came from 29th to 18th. It was a difficult weekend chassis wise and we haven’t been able to find a set-up on the bike that handled well. Second race we had a much better start but in the middle it started jumping out of gear, selecting neutrals, coming in and out. I think I chose the wrong tyre for race two compared to race one, because the lap times were not quite as good. That was just because of the slight change in track temperature, I think.” Jamie Hacking: “In race one I wasn’t comfortable starting that far back after seeing how crazy the starts are, so I backed off a bit and was last away. I played catch up as far as I could and then I had really bad arm pump from hanging on so hard. I struggled from then on. We had some discussions about doing the approach to Coppice a different way in race two, and I gave it a try and the bike ran off the racetrack into the gravel trap. I had it pretty much saved but it finally spun out and toppled over.”